In general, this invention relates to packaging and wrapping material for gift merchandise. More specifically, the present invention relates to a unique ensemble of such materials which provides all of the elements necessary for quickly packaging and wrapping a gift in one convenient kit.
In the past, several attempts have been made at minimizing the time and effort required to obtain packaging and wrapping material for gifts. U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,069, for example, discloses a gift box which has pre-cut decorative wrapping paper already affixed to the exterior of the gift box with adhesive lines located at predetermined positions. Major portions of the wrapping paper (including those portions intended to cover the sides of the box), however, are left unsecured to give "the appearance or simulation of having been hand-wrapped with a separate unattached sheet of wrapping paper."
Another example is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,808,194 which discloses a machine-wrapped container having a separate transparent outer covering (for carrying label information) which can be removed after purchase, thus resulting in a fully-wrapped package in gift form. The container disclosed in the '194 patent, however, is constructed prior to being machine-wrapped, which makes shipping of empty containers impractical. Moreover, the "machine-wrapped" look may be considered unattractive and impersonal under many circumstances.
Still other attempts at simplifying the gift packaging and wrapping task are presented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,355,092 and 3,391,856, but nowhere in the prior art is shown a device that combines all the necessary elements for packaging and wrapping a gift in a quick and efficient manner, yet can be distributed and marketed in an effective and efficient manner, and which results in a gift which has a "hand-wrapped" appearance when completed.